Toy blow gun, a projectile, a target and a set including same

ABSTRACT

According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a toy kit. The toy kit comprises a user-operatable blow gun; a projectile, the projectile being made from a first material; a target, the target being made from a second material; the first material and the second material being selected such that when the projectile is expelled from the user-operatable blow gun under a blow force applied by a user, it penetrates exclusively the target.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to, but is not limited to, toykits and more specifically the present invention relates to, but is notlimited to, a toy blow gun, a projectile, a target and a set includingsame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Projectile launchers, including blow guns for propelling projectiles,have been generally known in the art. The blow guns were initially usedas weapons for haunting or otherwise. As the time progressed, blow gunsalso found applicability in a variety of industries. For example, blowguns have been used in the veterinary or timber industries. In thetimber industry, blow guns have been used for firing markingprojectiles. In veterinary, applications of the blow guns include usethem as launchers for pill injectors for treating cattle, such as horsesand cows.

Yet another area for using blow guns has included mock combat games,where the blow guns are used for amusement for firing projectileswithout actually harming the target. As such, the blow guns have alsobeen used as novelty items and as toys for amusement of kids and adults.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,290 issued to Mitchell on Aug. 25, 2009 teaches ablow gun for launching soft projectiles. The blow gun includes an actionsleeve which is wrapped around and attached to a receiver. Softprojectiles, such as marshmallows, may be loaded into the breech of theblow gun by rotating the action sleeve approximately a quarter of a turnaround the receiver. When rotated in this manner, a loading port in theaction sleeve aligns with a corresponding loading port on the receiver,thus exposing the hollow interior of the receiver. A barrel is attachedto one end of the receiver so that the hollow interior of the barrel andthe hollow interior of the receiver are aligned. A muzzle brake extendsbeyond the barrel and has a plurality of brake vents to prevent theaccidental inhalation of projectiles when inhaling on the muzzle end ofthe blow gun. The blow gun may be fired by blowing into a blow tubewhich is fluidly connected with the receiver.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,214 issued to Altman et al. on Feb. 17, 1998discloses a blow dart gun and darts for use therewith, the blow dart gunhaving movable grips and a single-piece quiver attached to the outersurface of an elongated tube. Shims are used to secure the movable gripsand the single-piece quiver to the outer surface of the blow dart guntube. At one end of the elongated tube is a mouthpiece having an innertapered portion to prevent a dart from coming in contact with the mouthof a user. At the other end of the elongated tube is a hinged tube coverto protect the inside surface of the elongated tube during periods ofnon-use. Darts for use in the blow dart gun have a dart tip groove foreasier removal from a target, a non-flanged rear portion, and threads tosecurely attach the dart tip to the remainder of the dart.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,320 issued to Feiman on May 28, 2002 teaches apackaging device which allows for expulsion or delivery of its contentsby means of the user's breath. The contents to be expelled are eitherpre-packaged, or else loaded from the front end (i.e., chewing gum,sugar sprinkles and other candy, confetti, beads, as well as finepowdered incense/fragrances and the like). The objects or contents maybe launched into the air by blowing into the back of the tube, much likea pea-shooter. There are three primary features that distinguish it froma traditional pea-shooter. First, the objects are loaded from the front.Second, there is a barrier built in that prevents the contents fromgoing the wrong way. Third, perforated sections are created at the“mouth” end, whereby the used end piece can be easily torn away by theprevious user in order to create a fresh mouthpiece for the next user.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,885 issued to Graham et al. on Jan. 7, 1997discloses a safety dart game comprising a dart including an open leadingend portion having a side wall that defines an interior cavity and atarget including a base and a plurality of spaced, finger-likeprojections extending generally outwardly from the base, the projectionshaving a diameter sized to frictionally engage the interior cavity ofthe dart when the dart is projected onto the target. The projections onthe target may be arranged such that a plurality of the projectionsfrictionally engage an external surface of the dart when the dart isprojected onto the target.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,828 to Getgey et al. issued on Aug. 22, 1972 teachesa blow gun toy in which a projectile can be expelled and directedagainst a combined target and shield affixed to a portion of the toy.The toy includes a tubular barrel having a curved section which ismovable with respect to the target in such a manner that the projectilecan be aimed at different points on the target.

US patent application 2006/0223675 published to Lew on Oct. 5, 2006discloses a blowing device useful for acquisition of blowing and/oraspiring abilities, wherein the user is directed to blow and/or aspireis a predetermined manner. This novel device comprising an envelope; atleast one movable element located inside the inner portion of saidenvelope; a maneuverable tube of an open bore, having a proximal portionand a distal portion; said tube is protruded into said envelope at theproximal end and extended to a mouthpiece, adapted to be incommunication with said user mouth; the distal portion of said tube isfurther extended into the inner portion of the envelope; wherein saidmovable element is directed to move in a predetermined course by a meansof the blowing and/or aspiration characteristics.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,978 issued to Loftus on Dec. 13, 1983 teaches ablowgun assembly and associated darts capable of long range accuratetarget application, comprising an elongate launching tube ofexceptionally light weight, high rigidity, and dimensional stabilityalong with an associated mouthpiece and a dart quiver affixed to thetube. The darts comprise a metallic wire shaft with an affixed bulbousmember at the rear end which serves as an air piston for dart propulsionand also as a stabilizing member during flight of the dart. The blowgunis proportioned so that the dart is propelled by a brief comfortablepuff of air into the mouthpiece by the user, without significant strain.Therefore the blowgun assembly is extremely comfortable to use and veryaccurate so that its sporting use in very enjoyable.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,902 issued to Repinski on Oct. 23, 1973 discloses atoy that includes a tube and a projectile. The projectile islightweight, foamed, resilient member. The projectile is implemented asa cylindrical member.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,364,521 issued to Yang on Apr. 29, 2008 teaches a suckerand an adhesion arrow having the same. More particularly, the presentinvention provides a sucker that can be attached, instead of a needle,to an arrow for a toy arrow shooter. The sucker of the present inventionis formed with an annular projection on an adhesion surface of thesucker. Thus, even when the sucker collides against a target at a highspeed, the sucker can be prevented from bouncing back from the targetdue to a repulsive force generated from the collision and thus securelyadhere to the target. Further, even though the sucker of the presentinvention flies and collides against the target at a certain angle, thesucker can easily adhere to the target. Further, the sucker is made of asoft material so that a repulsive force can be smaller than an adhesionforce when the sucker collides against the target. When a user shootsthe adhesion arrow of the present invention by blowing it received in ashooting tool, the sucker is not caught by an inner circumferentialsurface of the tubular shooting tool so that the adhesion arrow of thepresent invention can be easily shot.

US patent application 2009/0159062 published to Bohman et al. on Jun.25, 2009 discloses a toy that functions to propel a projectile through atube at someone or something by exerting sufficient air pressure fromthe user's lungs through the tube. This action has the effect ofchallenging and building the user's respiratory system, including therespiratory musculature and lung capacity, through the repeated use ofthe toy.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,512,313 issued to Dritz on Jun. 20, 1950 teaches ablowgun, which includes a combination of blow tube and a sounding device(such as whistle, for example).

U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,979 issued to Mitchell on Sep. 19, 2006 discloses aunique human powered weapon for hunting or target shooting combining asling shot, an arrow shooting device and a blow gun with sights andcollapsibility.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,922 issued to Ford et al. on Jun. 7, 2005 teaches ablowgun that has a movable mouthpiece coupled to a barrel, wherein asoft, and preferably fluid-soaked projectile is inserted into the barrelthrough the mouthpiece via a continuous channel that is formed by themouthpiece and the barrel. After loading of the projectile, the channelis closed by moving the mouthpiece relative to the barrel.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,413 issued to Nagasue on Jul. 8, 2003 discloses ablowgun that comprises cylindrical front and rear blowpipes 2 and 4,which are connected with each other by a connection member 3, a handlemember 5 attached to the rear blowpipe 4, a collimator composed of afront sight 6 and a rear sight 7, and a mouthpiece 8. The front sight 6is provided on the front blowpipe 2 while the rear sight 7 is providedat the top of the handle member 5. The mouthpiece 8, which has a blowinlet 8 b, is connected to the rear opening of the rear blowpipe 4. Theblow inlet of the mouthpiece is offset from the connection part of themouthpiece that is attached to the rear opening of the blowpipe, so thata user, while he is collimating the blowpipe toward a target by lookingthrough the collimator, can touch the blow inlet by the mouth and blowair to eject a dart, which is inserted and set in the blowpipebeforehand.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,482 issued to Di Pietro on May 6, 1986 teaches a toyblow gun comprising a barrel which includes a bore, a first end, asecond end, a mechanism for allowing air to enter the bore with themechanism for allowing air to enter being located on the barrel neareach of the ends a greater distance from each of the ends than themaximum distance over which a human mouth is capable of extending overthe ends of the barrel. The toy blow gun further comprises a blow tubewhich includes mechanism for sealing the mechanism for allowing air toenter the bore with the blow tube and the barrel forming a sealed blowpath for blowing a projectile through the bore when the mechanism forsealing is attached to one of the ends of the barrel and sealing themechanism for allowing air to enter the bore.

US patent application 2006/0042615 published to Gregory on Mar. 2, 2006discloses a blow gun made of interconnected tubular members simulatingthe shape of a rifle that includes a first tubular member with a sectionbeing an open ended elongate barrel having a closed end chamberfunctioning also as a handle. A second tubular member is connected tothe first member between the open and closed ends of the barrelproviding an air input passage into the barrel and closed chamber at theintersection of the same. A fourth member may be connected to the firstmember projecting therefrom providing a second handle. The blow gun iscapable of projecting compressible projectiles, preferably biodegradableprojectiles, more preferably edible projectiles such as marshmallows.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,210 issued to Schnitz on Mar. 18, 1969 teaches blowa gun with a projectile which includes wings.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,120 issued to Foley on Oct. 18, 1977 blow gun andprojectile combination for use in connection with targets which providesafety, enjoyment, and fun without being hazardous. The blow guns areaccurate with the projectiles used, and the projectiles are extremelylightweight and do not have sufficient mass to cause injury if fired sothat they strike a person. In addition, the blow gun includes mouthpieceindentations. These indentations cooperate with a disc located on theforward end of each projectile to prevent the projectiles from beinginhaled through the mouthpiece by a user of the blow gun.

PCT Patent application bearing a publication number WO84/01425 publishedon Apr. 12, 1984 discloses a sarbacane provided with a loading devicefor a plurality of projectiles. The sarbacane comprises a gun, amouthpiece (2) for the admission of a pressure gas intended to propel aprojectile (7), and a loading device wherein the projectiles (7) arearranged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a toy kit. The toy kit comprises a user-operatable blow gun; aprojectile, the projectile being made from a first material; a target,the target being made from a second material; the first material and thesecond material being selected such that when the projectile is expelledfrom the user-operatable blow gun under a blow force applied by a user,it penetrates exclusively the target.

According to a second broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a projectile for use with a blow gun and a target, theprojectile being made of a first material and the target being made of asecond material. The projectile comprises a projectile body having aconical shape, the first material being selected such that when theprojectile is expelled from the blow gun under a blow force applied by auser, it penetrates exclusively the target made of the second material.

These and other aspects and features of non-limiting embodiments of thepresent invention will now become apparent to those skilled in the artupon review of the following description of specific non-limitingembodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the embodiments of the present invention(including alternatives and/or variations thereof) may be obtained withreference to the detailed description of the embodiments along with thefollowing drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective exploded view of a toy kit including a blowgun, a projectile and a target; all implemented in accordance withnon-limiting embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2A depicts an exploded view of the blow gun of FIG. 1 in anunassembled state and FIG. 2B depicts the blow gun of FIG. 1 in apartially assembled state.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the projectile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of the projectile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 depicts a projectile implemented in accordance with anothernon-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a plain view of a back face of the target of FIG. 1 in apackaged configuration

FIG. 7 depicts a packaging that can be used for packaging the toy kit ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 8 depicts nested projectiles of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C depict the blow gun and the projectile of FIG. 1 atdifferent stages of the expelling of the projectile through the blowgun.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are may be illustrated byphantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. Incertain instances, details that are not necessary for an understandingof the embodiments or that render other details difficult to perceivemay have been omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided atoy kit, which will be described with specific reference to FIG. 1. FIG.1 depicts a non-limiting embodiment of a toy kit 100. The toy kit 100includes a blow gun 102, a projectile 104 and a target 106; all beingimplemented in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the presentinvention. The blow gun 102 is operated by a user (not depicted) and, assuch, can be thought of as a user-operatable blow gun.

It is noted that the toy kit 100 can be provided by the same entity as aset and can be sold to the end customer and used by such end customer asan amusement or novelty toy. According to other embodiments of thepresent invention, the components of the toy kit 100 can be soldseparately. For example, it is contemplated, that one or a set ofprojectiles 104 can be sold separately from the blow gun 102. Also, itis contemplated that the target 106 in various shapes and formscontemplated herein can be sold separately from the blow gun 102 and/orthe projectile 104.

The blow gun 102 comprises a generally tubular body 110, which isimplemented in a form of a barrel. The generally tubular body 110 can bemade of any suitable rigid material, such as for example, plastic or anyother suitable material. In the illustrated embodiment, the generallytubular body 110 is made of a see-through material, but this does notneed to be so in every embodiment of the present invention. The blow gun102 can be made using any known commercially available or proprietarytechniques, such as extrusion forming or thermal forming. It is notedthat in alternative non-limiting embodiments of the present invention,the suitable rigid material can include any metal, any plastic, wood,bamboo or the like.

The generally tubular body 110 can be formed from one or moreinterconnected tubular members. In the specific non-limiting exampleillustrated in FIG. 1, the generally tubular body 110 is made of threeinstances of a blow gun body member 111, interconnected therebetween bya respective instance of an interconnecting member 113. This is depictedin more detail, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in which FIG. 2A depicts an explodedview of the blow gun 102 of FIG. 1 in an dis-assembled state and FIG. 2Bdepicts an exploded view of the blow gun 102 in a partially assembledstate.

A given one of the interconnecting members 113 is implemented as atubular connector having an inner diameter that is configured toreceive, in an interference fit, the respective instance of the blow gunbody member 111 and hold it in place by means of such interference fit(as is best seen in FIG. 2B, for instance). The interconnecting members113 can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic and the like.It should be noted that the number of the instances of the blow gun bodymember 111 is not limited and, as such, can be implemented in any numberof selectable numbers. A specific technical advantage associated withimplementing the generally tubular body 110 in a number of instances ofthe blow gun body member 111 is that it allows for compact packing ofthe blow gun 102. The reduced packaging size can result in moreconvenient transportation thereof, as well as on-shelf presentation instore. Also, it allows for easy transportation by the user, such as totake the toy kit 100 camping or while travelling.

However, it is contemplated that the generally tubular body 110 can beformed of a single member. Also, it is noted that in alternativeembodiments of the present invention, the generally tubular body 110 canbe formed of at least two instances of the blow gun body member 111interconnected therebetween by various known means, such as snap fit,screw-in fit, interference fit or any other suitable means.

The blow gun 102 further comprises a mouth piece 116 coupled to one endof the generally tubular body 110. The mouth piece 116 is made out ofany suitable material, such as plastic, and is configured to receive amouth of a user (not depicted) when the user is using the blow gun 102.It should be noted that the mouth piece 116 is optional and, as such, itcan be varied or omitted altogether in alternative embodiments of thepresent invention.

The blow gun 102 can comprise a number of additional components, whichare not depicted in FIG. 1. These additional components can includeoptional scope, an optional magazine for feeding projectiles (such as,for example, the projectile 104), a removable quiver and the like. Allthese additional components are known in the art and, as such, do notneed to be described here at any length.

It is noted that the generally tubular body 110 comprises an internalbody diameter defined by the inner walls therefore (not separatelynumbered).

With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in which a non-limiting embodimentof the projectile 104 is depicted, the projectile 104 comprises aprojectile body 112. It is noted that the projectile 104 is re-usableand can be used many times by the user. In the illustrated embodiment,the projectile body 112 is generally of a conical shape. The projectilebody 112 comprises a first end 114 and the second end 115. The first end114 is generally blunt. However, the exact shape of the first end 114 isnot particularly limited and different a variation is depicted in FIG.5, which depicts a first variation of a blunt end, which includes around enlarged terminus point. Irrespective of which variation for thefirst end 114 is selected, it is selected such as to allow penetrationof the target 106, as will be described in greater detail herein below.However, implementing the first end 114 as a blunt end irrespective ofspecific shape thereof, further contributes to making the overall use ofthe toy kit 100 safer.

Within the depicted embodiment, the projectile body 112 is hollowinside, as is best seen in FIG. 4. Within some of the embodiments of thepresent invention, the wall thickness of the projectile body 112 isselected as thin as possible (as dictated by the manufacturing processand the selection of the material) to keep the weight of the projectile104 as low as possible, as will be described herein below.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the projectile 104 ismade from a first material. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, the first material selected for the projectile 104 isselected such that it possesses certain functional characteristics. Forexample, the projectile 104 made of the first material has to generallymaintain its shape. As another example, the projectile 104 made from thefirst material is bendable, yet it returns to its original shape eitheron its own or as fixed by the user. Finally, the first material isselected such as to keep the weight of the projectile 104 substantiallylow. As an example, the weight of the projectile 104 can be in the rangeof between approximately 0.2 grams and 2.2 grams. As another example,the weight of the projectile 104 can be selected to be under 1 gram. Theexample of the projectile 104 depicted in FIG. 1 has the weight ofapproximately 0.6 grams.

An example of the first material selected for the projectile 104, thefirst material can be implemented as soft plastic, such as HDPE(high-density polyethylene) plastic and the like. Within thisimplementation and since the soft plastic is a generally resilientmaterial, the projectile 104 can be said to be implemented from aresilient material. This implementation of the projectile 104 from aresilient material ensures its certain mechanical properties, which willbe described in greater detail herein below.

The projectile body 112 comprises a maximum projectile diameter, whichis located proximate to the second end 115. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the maximum projectile diameter is selected to beslightly larger than the internal body diameter defined by the innerwalls of the generally tubular body 110. Recalling that the projectile104 is made of the first material, which is generally soft (andtherefore is generally resilient or in another words, the projectile 104is being made of resilient material), this ensures that the projectile104 can be inserted into the blow gun 102 (by squeezing the projectile104), yet once inserted, to provide sealable contact between theprojectile 104 and the inner walls of the blow gun 102. This sealingcontact ensures that the full force of the pressure build up, when theuser is using the blow gun 102, will act upon the projectile 104 andshall not escape around the edges thereof. Furthermore, the hollowclosed end cavity presents greater surface area to the force of airblown by the user, which can be beneficial in certain embodiments of thepresent invention, as the greater surface area can assist in increasingthe force which is exerted upon the projectile 104. Needless to say,that in alternative embodiments of the present invention, it iscontemplated that the maximum diameter can be selected to besubstantially the same as the internal body diameter. In yet furthernon-limiting embodiments of the present invention, it is contemplatedthat the maximum diameter can be selected to be slightly smaller thanthe internal body diameter.

As an example implementation of the projectile 104, the dimensions ofthe projectile body 112 can be implemented with length of 100 mm andwith the maximum projectile diameter of 9.5 mm.

It is contemplated that a technical effect of the selection of the shapeaccording to the non-limiting embodiments can include the ability toexpel the projectile 104 with the maximum speed, when it exits the blowgun 102. However, it is expressly noted that the projectile 104 can beimplemented in alternative shapes in accordance with other embodimentsof the present invention. For example, the depth of the degree ofhollowness is not particularly limited and, as such, in alternativeembodiments of the present invention the projectile 104 does not need tobe fully hollow. Also, even though the projectile 104 is depicted ashaving a constant wall thickness, this does not need to be so in everyembodiment of the present invention. It is also contemplated that issome embodiments of the present invention, the projectile 104 can beimplemented as a full-bodied member (i.e. not being hollow inside).

Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the target 106 comprises atarget body 122. The target body 122 can be of any shape, such as aconventional “bulls eye” design depicted in FIG. 1. Other alternativeshapes are possible of course and can include but are not limited to: adepiction of an animal, a depiction of a space ship, a depiction of aplanet and the like. According to various non-limiting embodiments ofthe present invention, the target body 122 is made from a secondmaterial.

Generally speaking, according to embodiments of the present invention,the first and second materials are selected such that when theprojectile 104 is expelled from the blow gun 102, operated by the user(not depicted), under a blow force applied by such user, the projectile104 penetrates exclusively the target 106. For the avoidance of doubt,the term “exclusively” means that for the specific selection of thesecond material for the target 106, the projectile 104 made of thespecific first material, will penetrate the target 106 and will notpenetrate ambient environment where the target 106 is mounted. It isspecifically noted that a given selection of the first material for theprojectile 104 can penetrate a number of second materials potentiallyselectable for the target 106, the first and second materials beingselectable based on the teachings provided herein.

The second material selected for the target 106 is selected from a rangeof low density materials or porous materials consisting of thinmembranes trapping the air between them. Generally speaking, the secondmaterial is selected based on its impact strength. For the avoidance ofdoubt, the impact strength is the ability of a given material towithstand a striking force. What is applicable for the materialselection is the amount of energy required to fracture the selectedmaterial (i.e. a measure of the material's resistance to mechanicalshock). As a non-limiting embodiment, the second material can compriseplastic foam. In an example implementation, the plastic foam cancomprise Styrofoam. Any other material with suitable impact strength canbe used. As another example, an edible material (such as marshmallow)can be used. In additional embodiments of the present invention, thesecond material can be selected to be any membrane-like material, suchas for example, a sheet of paper. In yet further embodiments of thepresent invention, the second material can be corrugated cardboard (theone that has hollow cavities surrounded by paper walls thus being thickand sturdy but still suitable to be selected as the second material forour purpose). It is also noted that the form factor for implementing thetarget 106 is not limited and, as such, target can be static or a movingobject. In case of the moving object, proper motion means can beprovided, as is known to those of skill in the art.

In the example provided in FIG. 1 and as an illustration only, theprojectile 104 is implemented in soft HDPE plastic and the target 106 isimplemented in Styrofoam. Within this example and as a technical effectof embodiments of the present invention, when the projectile 104 isexpelled from the blow gun 102 under the force of air expelled by theuser, the projectile 104 will exclusively penetrate the target 106. Inother words, if the projectile 104 hits anything other than the target106 (such as a human, an animal, a wall, a piece of furniture and thelike), the projectile 104 will bend and/or fall down without causing anysubstantial damage to the item hit. As a technical effect of embodimentsof the present invention, the toy kit 100 provides a safe, yet fun,novelty or toy item. The projectile 104 comes out with the maximumspeed, with a “swoosh” sound, while providing for a safe operationthereof.

Generally speaking, the combination of the shape of the projectile 104,the maximum speed with which the projectile 104 is propelled (due to lowweight selection thereof) ensures that the projectile 104 arrives at adestination (such as the target 106) and hits its with a certain force(defined by a mathematical formulae F=mV(2)). This certain force,combined with the second material selection, ensures that the projectile104 exclusively penetrates the target 106 and is too low to penetrateand or harm other objects.

The toy kit 100 can be sold in a package 600, which is depicted in FIG.6 and FIG. 7. The package 600 can be implemented as a box and the target106 can be placed in the package 600. A back wall of the target 106 (asis depicted in FIG. 6) can define one or more receptacles 612 forreleasably accepting various other components of the toy kit 100 (suchas, the blow gun 102 in a dis-assembled state and the projectile 104).Once the blow gun 102 and the projectile 104 (as well as othercomponents of the toy kit 100 stored therein) are removed, the target106 is reversed (to reveal the drawing on the operational face thereof)and is placed back into the box. A suction cup 614 can be provided andis attached to the back of the package 600 (as is best seen in FIG. 7)to attach it to any suitable surface (such as without limitation, awall, a flat TV screen, a window, etc.). It is noted that the package600 can include a plurality of projectiles 104. Recalling thatprojectiles 104 can be hollow at least in some embodiments of thepresent invention, the plurality of projectiles 104 can be convenientlystacked within each other, as is depicted in FIG. 8.

Having described the toy kit 100, we will now turn our attention to theoperation of the toy kit 100. For the description to follow, it isassumed that the user (not depicted) has assembled the blow gun 102 andhas attached the target 106 to an appropriate surface.

With reference to FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C, the user first loads theprojectile 104 into the blow gun 102. This can be done by slightsqueezing of the projectile 104. When the projectile 104 is loaded, itcan tend to tilt to one side under the force of gravity, for example, asis best seen in FIG. 9A. Recalling that the projectile 104 is made ofthe soft material, the projectile 104 once loaded into the blow gun 102,“plugs” or seals with the internal surface of the blow gun 102. The userthen applies a short puff into the mouth piece 116, at which point, thetrapped air centers the projectile 104 (see FIG. 9B). It is noted thatwhen the projectile 104 is centered, as has just been described, it onlycontacts the inner surface of the blow gun 102 at a point of the maximumdiameter thereof (i.e. by the second end 115). In other words, themaximum projectile diameter is the only contact point between theprojectile 104 and the inner surface of the blow gun 102.

This specific arrangement can have an additional technical effect ofminimizing friction between the projectile 104 and the blow gun 102,when the projectile 104 travels through the blow gun 102, as depicted inFIG. 9C (as compared, for example, to traditional cylindricalprojectiles). Needless to say, the lower friction can assist in theprojectile 104 gaining more speed when travelling (due to lowerde-acceleration attributable to lower friction).

The construction of the projectile 104 and selection of the firstmaterial allows for expulsion of the centered projectile 104, whichensures that the trajectory of the projectile 104 in a substantiallystraight line is maximized and the trajectory of the projectile isconsistent for the projectiles expelled under the same conditions (wind,height, aiming point, force of expulsion, etc). This in turn can enablebetter chances for the projectile 104 to hit the target 106 and,therefore, allows training and competing for various users in aprecision game manner (similar to an archery and a shootingcompetitions). Within embodiments, where the user propels the projectile104 for about 15-20 meters from the target 106, the muzzle velocity ofthe projectile can be between 65 and 70 miles per hour (approximately 96to 112 kilometers per hour). However, the shape of the projectile 104and the selection of the first material also allow for safe operationthereof. The projectile 104 will only exclusively penetrate the target106. If, by error, projectile 104 arrives anywhere other than the target106, it will bend and fall without penetrating and/or damaging thealternative destination (i.e. wall, humans, animals or the like).Overall, this makes for a safe and fun operation of the toy kit 100.

The description of the embodiments of the present inventions providesexamples of the present invention, and these examples do not limit thescope of the present invention. It is to be expressly understood thatthe scope of the present invention is limited by the claims only. Theconcepts described above may be adapted for specific conditions and/orfunctions, and may be further extended to a variety of otherapplications that are within the scope of the present invention. Havingthus described the embodiments of the present invention, it will beapparent that modifications and enhancements are possible withoutdeparting from the concepts as described. Therefore, what is to beprotected by way of letters patent are limited only by the scope of thefollowing claims:

1. A toy set comprising: a user-operatable blow gun; a projectile, the projectile being made from a first material; a target, the target being made from a second material; the first material and the second material being selected such that when the projectile is expelled from the user-operatable blow gun under a blow force applied by a user, it penetrates exclusively the target.
 2. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises soft plastic.
 3. The toy set of claim 2, wherein the soft plastic comprises high-density polyethylene.
 4. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises plastic foam.
 5. The toy set of claim 4, wherein the plastic foam comprises Styrofoam.
 6. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises high-density polyethylene and the second material comprises Styrofoam.
 7. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the projectile comprises a projectile body, and wherein the projectile body is generally conical.
 8. The toy set of claim 7, wherein the projectile body is hollow inside.
 9. The toy set of claim 7, wherein the projectile body comprises a first end and the first end is blunt.
 10. The toy set of claim 7, wherein the projectile body comprises a second end and the second end defines a maximum projectile diameter; and wherein the user-operatable blow gun defines an internal body diameter; and wherein the projectile is made from a resilient material; and wherein the maximum projectile diameter is selected to be slightly larger than the internal body diameter.
 11. The toy set of claim 10, wherein selection of the maximum projectile diameter allows, in use, when the projectile is placed within the user-operatable blow gun to provide a sealing contact between the second end and an inner surface of the user-operatable blow gun.
 12. The toy set of claim 11, wherein the maximum projectile diameter is the only contact point between the projectile and the inner surface of the user-operatable blow gun, when being expelled therethough, thereby minimizing friction when the projectile travels through the user-operatable blow gun.
 13. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises corrugated cardboard.
 14. The toy set of claim 1, wherein the target comprises a back wall and the back wall defines one or more receptacles to receive other components of the toy set.
 15. The toy set of claim 1 wherein the user-operatable blow gun comprises at least two blow gun body members, interconnected therebetween by an interconnecting member.
 16. A projectile for use with a blow gun and a target, the projectile being made of a first material and the target being made of a second material, the projectile comprising: a projectile body having a conical shape, the first material being selected such that when the projectile is expelled from the blow gun under a blow force applied by a user, it penetrates exclusively the target made of the second material.
 17. The projectile of claim 16, wherein the projectile body is hollow inside.
 18. The projectile of claim 16, wherein the projectile body comprises a first end and the first end is blunt.
 19. The projectile of claim 16, wherein the projectile body comprises a second end and the second end defined a maximum projectile diameter; and wherein the blow gun defines an internal body diameter; and wherein the first material is a resilient material; and wherein the maximum projectile diameter is selected to be slightly larger than the internal body diameter.
 20. The projectile of claim 19, wherein selection of the maximum projectile diameter allows, in use, when the projectile is placed within the blow gun to provide a sealing contact between the second end and an inner surface of the blow gun, when being expelled therethough. 